iPad Air 13″ (M3)

Released March 2025

The 2025 13-inch iPad Air with M3 is the larger of Apple's mid-range tablets, with Apple Pencil Pro support and a Magic Keyboard of its own, suited to students and creative users who don't need an OLED or high-refresh display.

Model history · 2 models, 2024–2025

2024iPad Air 13″ (M2)Compare
2025iPad Air 13″ (M3)

Screen: 12.9″
Display: LCD, 60 Hz
Chip: M3
Memory: 8 GB
Storage: 128 GB – 1 TB
Weight: 616 g

13″+

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the M3 performance, vivid display and thin, light design, but see it as a minor update on the M2 model. Both found the keyboard and other accessories expensive; Wired also criticised the basic LCD, unchanged battery life and that it remains heavier and thicker than the iPad Pro.

From tomsguide.com and wired.com

Specifications

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Display

Screen size: 12.9″
Resolution: 2732 × 2048
Sharpness: 265 pixels per inch
Panel: LCD
Refresh rate: 60 Hz
Brightness: 600 nits
Display type: Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 13-inch, 12.9 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle
Pixel density: 264 ppi
Display features: Wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Performance

Chip: M3
Memory: 8 GB
Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
CPU: 8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores
GPU: 9-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with hardware-accelerated 8K HEVC, 4K H.264, ProRes and ProRes RAW, AV1 decode
AI engine: 16-core Neural Engine

Cameras

Rear camera: 12 MP
Ultra wide camera: None
Front camera: 12 MP
Rear camera: 12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0
Video recording: 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p)

Battery and connections

Battery life (maker's claim): Up to 10 hours
Battery capacity: 36.59 Wh
Mobile data option: Yes
Stylus: Supported, sold separately
Keyboard made for it: Yes
Battery life detail: Up to 10 hours surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile data
Charging: Via USB-C power adapter (not included) or computer
USB-C: USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60Hz
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.3
Mobile network: 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; eSIM only
Stylus support: Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover
Keyboards: Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (white)

Design

Weight: 616 g
Thickness: 6.1 mm
Height × width: 280.6 × 214.9 mm
Operating system: iPadOS
Biometrics: Touch ID in the top button
Speakers: Landscape stereo speakers
Microphones: Dual microphones
Sensors: Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor
Materials: 100% recycled aluminium in the enclosure
Colours: Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey
Software at launch: iPadOS 18
In the box: iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)

Storage options

Storage
128 GB
256 GB
512 GB
1 TB

Pros and cons

Pros

M3 with an 8-core CPU, 9-core GPU and hardware-accelerated ray tracing
Works with Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard for iPad Air
5G option, Wi-Fi 6E and a 12MP landscape Center Stage front camera

Cons

60Hz LCD with no ProMotion, and 600 nits brightness
8GB RAM on every storage option
USB-C port limited to 10Gb/s, and Touch ID rather than Face ID

Closest rivals

Model	Screen	Display	Chip	Memory	Storage	Weight	Released
AppleiPad Air 13″ (M2)	12.9″	LCD, 60 Hz	M2	8 GB	128 GB – 1 TB	617 g	May 2024
AppleiPad Air 13″ (M4)	12.9″	LCD, 60 Hz	M4	12 GB	128 GB – 1 TB	616 g	Mar 2026
SamsungGalaxy Tab S10 FE+	13.1″	LCD, 90 Hz	Exynos 1580	8 GB – 12 GB	128 GB – 256 GB	664 g	Apr 2025

Previous model: iPad Air 13″ (M2).

Sources

Photo: store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com

iPad Air 13″ (M3) — Clean Up in Photos on the display: Apple Newsroom — Apple-iPad-Air-Apple-Intelligence-Clean-Up-tool-250304.jpg
iPad Air 13″ (M3) — Image Playground on the display: Apple Newsroom — Apple-iPad-Air-Apple-Intelligence-Image-Playground-250304.jpg
iPad Air 13″ (M3) — Image Wand in Notes on the display: Apple Newsroom — Apple-iPad-Air-Apple-Intelligence-Image-Wand-in-Notes-250304.jpg
iPad Air 13″ (M3) — Writing Tools on the display: Apple Newsroom — Apple-iPad-Air-Apple-Intelligence-Writing-Tools-250304.jpg
iPad Air 13″ (M3) — Where Winds Meet game on the display: Apple Newsroom — exact published photograph; complete supplied canvas retained

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